Arthur Conan
Arthur Conan
backs birds bright choice darkness faces ivy shines singing sun turn
Without, the sun shines bright and the birds are singing amid the ivy on the drooping beeches. Their choice is made, and they turn away hand-in-hand, with their backs to the darkness and their faces to the light.
acquired allow analysis aspects attain begin elementary exercise faculties glance greatest highest history learn life mastering matter meeting mental moral mortal nor patient perfection possible present profession science teaches trade turning
Like all other arts, the science of deduction and analysis is one which can only be acquired by long and patient study, nor is life long enough to allow any mortal to attain the highest possible perfection in it. Before turning to those moral and mental aspects of the matter which present the greatest difficulties, let the inquirer begin by mastering more elementary problems. Let him, on meeting a fellow-mortal, learn at a glance to distinguish the history of man, and the trade or profession to which he belongs. Puerile as such an exercise may seem, it sharpens the faculties of observation, and teaches one where to look and what to look for.
against below black boiling booming breaking burning constant curtain edge far fearful flickering forever giddy gleam green hissing immense itself lined listening man melting near onward pit river roaring rolls shoots shout smoke spray stood stream sweep swollen thick tremendous turn water
It is indeed, a fearful place. The torrent, swollen by the melting snow, plunges into a tremendous abyss, from which the spray rolls up like the smoke from a burning house. The shaft into which the river hurls itself is a immense chasm, lined by glistening coal-black rock, and narrowing into a creaming, boiling pit of incalculable depth, which brims over and shoots the stream onward over its jagged lip. The long sweep of green water roaring forever down, and the thick flickering curtain of spray hissing forever upward, turn a man giddy with their constant whirl and clamor. We stood near the edge peering down at the gleam of the breaking water far below us against the black rocks, and listening to the half-human shout which cam booming up with the spray out of the abyss.
appear both bread depend expressed extremely practical theories turn
Yes, I have a turn both for observation and for deduction. The theories which I have expressed there, and which appear to you to be so chimerical are really extremely practical -- so practical that I depend upon them for my bread and cheese.
driven lets sour talk turns whom
I have no one to whom I can talk upon such matters. I am all driven inwards, and thought turns sour when one lets it stagnate like that.
clever turns adaptable
Life, it turns out, is infinitely more clever and adaptable than anyone had ever supposed.
eliminated however truth
When you have eliminated the impossible, that which remains, however improbable, must be the truth.
count man might scale small stage strike throwing weight
Even on this small stage we have our two sides, and something might be done by throwing all one's weight on the scale of breadth, tolerance, charity, temperance, peace, and kindliness to man and beast. We can't all strike very big blows, and even the little ones count for something.
blood broad centre country land law lay save zone
Between these two there lay a broad zone comprising all the centre of the country which was a land of blood and violence, where no law prevailed save that of the sword.
deceptive distance far few horizon light might seemed within yards
There is nothing so deceptive as the distance of a light upon a pitch-dark night, and sometimes the glimmer seemed to be far away upon the horizon and sometimes it might have been within a few yards of us.
apart backwards beaten broad chamber cheeks crushed crushing features foe front haggard hands himself indeed inner less lofty man nervous none occasions pacing passions suffered white whom
Meanwhile, in the broad and lofty chamber set apart for occasions of import, the Abbot himself was pacing impatiently backwards and forwards, with his long white nervous hands clasped in front of him. His thin, thought-worn features and sunken, haggard cheeks bespoke one who had indeed beaten down that inner foe whom every man must face, but had none the less suffered sorely in the contest. In crushing his passions he had well-nigh crushed himself.
fine man
Of all ruins, that of a fine man is the saddest.
dark face lips lofty looked majesty moment pressed rare shallow soul
Nigel looked at her with sparkling eyes. The soul which shone through her dark face had transformed it for the moment into a beauty, more lofty and more rare than that of her shallow sister. He bowed before the majesty of the woman, and pressed his lips to her hand.
came dark deep face faith hand held kissed looked reverence shining soul stood woman
She stood framed in the doorway, tall, mystic, silent, with strange, wistful face and deep soul shining in her dark questioning eyes. Nigel kissed the hand that she held out, and all his faith in woman and his reverence came back to him as he looked at her.